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On BigSoccer yesterday, they reported that Coach Embick had turned down the job.

obviously, I hope that today's news tweeted above is not true.

Coach Embick is the only Akron soccer coach ever that has led his team to the College Cup 3 times.

Coach Embick is a tireless recruiter and he works hard to help players improve.

We have been very fortunate to have Coach Embick as the leader of the Akron soccer program for the past 6 years. He was the great recruiter during the Caleb Porter years. All of us worried when Caleb Porter left. Coach Embick's great soccer mind and his ability to get the best out of young men...has been the key factor in Akron being a great program for the past 12 years.

The financial difficulties of the University of Akron and not having a permanent university president....might finally be hurting the soccer program.

if this is the end of the great Embick era, I want to say thank you very much...and wish Coach Embick the best. Honorable, hard working man. Great coach.

Jared took the Zips to 3 College Cups in the last 4 years. He was an assistant 6 of Caleb's 7-year tenure and was instrumental in the back-to-back College Cups in 2009 and 2010, including our National Championship. There is no one who has had a bigger impact on taking our program to its highest levels. Indeed, UA's financial stresses and future impact on support to our Men's Soccer Program may have taken their toll. I hope this news is not a done deal and that UA can do the right thing for it to go our way. Jared and his staff, players, etc. are family. I wanted Jared as Caleb's replacement from the day Caleb announced he was going to the Timbers. And I hope that Jared will retire as our Zips Men's Soccer Head Coach.

Edited December 23, 2018 by Zip_ME87

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I agree with TennZip. The first year I got season tickets were the first year Caleb was gone and was unsure of Jared. In fact I was unsure of him for a few years and boy has he proved me wrong. He has been a blessing to our program. Please stay with us - Jared.

I hope my friend Larry Caldwell won't mind my posting this, but when Scotty graduated, Larry told me that all of his kids played collegiate soccer; nowhere did they experience the sense of family like at Akron. Zips alumni and fans care so much about this program and each other...and I can attest that comes from the founder, Stu Parry, and has continued across the years from what I gathered at an alumni event that the University hosted in Santa Barbara.

Jared, his staff, and our players continue that feeling of family. I see our current players connect so well with each other and their fans. They immediately connect with their predecessors as well. Steve Zakuani visited the team in Seattle to talk with them. Jake Fenlason and Matt Dagilis were in Santa Barbara sitting with our non gameday rostered players. Michael Nanchoff was at Wake Forest and traveled to Stanford as well as Santa Barbara. And, of course alumni from across the years were in Santa Barbara as well as other matches.

During both games in Santa Barbara, DeAndre Yedlin's grandmother (DeA was raised by his grandmother and grandfather who paid for his development in both dollars and time) was texting me from Newcastle wanting updates on our games. Mind you that our Semi-final and final games took place between 1 am and 3 am in the UK. She was texting me throughout.

Welcome to being a season ticket holder and thanks for sharing that. That speaks greatly about the support that Jared garners for our program.

It was Jared along with Caleb, and the beautiful style of play in 2009, that got me hooked on our team and this sport. Until then, I was a very casual fan who knew little about the game and never really appreciated it. Now, I can't get enough of it. I have a lot to learn, but Jared and company got me interested enough to buy some books to try to learn more. I can get a little over-exuberant at times, but thank goodness people understand or keep me in check.

Edit: I bought a season ticket in 2009, the first year season tickets were offered, to get a scarf. I came to one game, and got hooked. I still think our 2009 team was the best in NCAA history. 23-1-1 by NCAA rules. Never gave up a goal in 5 games in the NCAA Tourney but didn't come home with the top prize. Shows how much luck and circumstances contribute to this game of football.

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Waiting is hard for us as fans. None of us can even fathom all of the decisions and factors that can go into job related decisions for a world class soccer coach.

Jared Embick is greatly respected by his players and all of the folks in the athletic department for what he has done for 12 years for Akron soccer. As an Akron soccer fan, I obviously want Coach Embick to stay. None of us would want our own job choices and decisions played out in the media or via twitter. I wish the best for Coach Embick and his family ...and I want him to make the best decision for his situation. Good wishes and much respect for Coach Embick.

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I have heard from a reliable source - a future Akron Zip, Jared is set to stay. There was some Louisville talks at one point, but the only coach I've ever seen coach Akron looks to be staying. Great news!

Waiting is hard for us as fans. None of us can even fathom all of the decisions and factors that can go into job related decisions for a world class soccer coach.

Jared Embick is greatly respected by his players and all of the folks in the athletic department for what he has done for 12 years for Akron soccer. As an Akron soccer fan, I obviously want Coach Embick to stay. None of us would want our own job choices and decisions played out in the media or via twitter. I wish the best for Coach Embick and his family ...and I want him to make the best decision for his situation. Good wishes and much respect for Coach Embick.

8 hours ago, YipaZip said:

I have heard from a reliable source - a future Akron Zip, Jared is set to stay. There was some Louisville talks at one point, but the only coach I've ever seen coach Akron looks to be staying. Great news!

YipaZip...that is fantastic news.

TennZip...I agree. I respect Jared enough to want him to do what is best for him / his family, which I hope is stay at Akron. At the same time, I also want him to know that he is family and that we are not indifferent. Tough choice as to how to come across as not putting undue pressure on him but also showing we care and how important he is to all of us.

I can confirm, per a very reliable source, that Coach Embick is staying at Akron.

With that said, the University and its Athletic Department continue to face financial issues. I believe that we, who love Zips Men's Soccer, need to find ways to help support our beloved program to keep it strong. I'm asking as someone who dearly loves UA and our Men's Soccer team. I love so much seeing DeAndre, Wil, and Darlington suit up in the red, white, and blue and hearing Akron mentioned when they take the field. I look forward to others who may yet take that step one day. The same for all of our players in the English Premier League, MLS, and USL. I can't imagine losing that.

Getting the word out for more folks to buy season tickets, I'm sure, would be a help. The success of the program and the recent run of articles in the Beacon Journal (ohio.com) should help convince other soccer fans that our program is worth their investment. I think we'll need to go beyond that, though, and try to rally our fan base and alumni to help raise additional funds. One way I know offhand that folks can help is through giving to the Goal Club or Friends of Men's Soccer, regardless of the amount. If anyone has experience leading fundraisers, I'd be willing to help. Please PM me.

Edited December 24, 2018 by Zip_ME87

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I can confirm, per a very reliable source, that Coach Embick is staying at Akron.

With that said, the University and its Athletic Department continue to face financial issues. I believe that we, who love Zips Men's Soccer, need to find ways to help support our beloved program to keep it strong. I'm asking as someone who dearly loves UA and our Men's Soccer team. I love so much seeing DeAndre, Wil, and Darlington suit up in the red, white, and blue and hearing Akron mentioned when they take the field. I look forward to others who may yet take that step one day. The same for all of our players in the English Premier League, MLS, and USL. I can't imagine losing that.

Getting the word out for more folks to buy season tickets, I'm sure, would be a help. The success of the program and the recent run of articles in the Beacon Journal (ohio.com) should help convince other soccer fans that our program is worth their investment. I think we'll need to go beyond that, though, and try to rally our fan base and alumni to help raise additional funds. One way I know offhand that folks can help is through giving to the Goal Club or Friends of Men's Soccer, regardless of the amount. If anyone has experience leading fundraisers, I'd be willing to help. Please PM me.

I'm not a soccer fan at all, but I have always been impressed with how the program runs. I will get some tix next year for sure. If any fundraising events occur, please put it on the Board. Thanks.

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Thank you, Jared Embick for choosing to see the very best in us. We are eternally thankful for your faithfulness.

It is now time for UA AD to respond in kind. Akron Soccer must be afforded ALL the Resources and Support commensurate with a perennially elite program. We should not envy any other programs for anything. Larry Williams, recognize the best card in your hand, and play it accordingly. Louisville is unlikely to come for our Basketball coach, or our Football coach. But Louisville evidently really likes our Soccer coaches. There is a message there, Larry. Be smart enough to see it. Invest In Excellence!

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I am heartened by the news and source reporting that JE is staying, Me_87 is my go-to on what is facts, and if he reports it's not going to happen, I believe...

It's great to read from the posters that people want to help to be proactive and fend off any future "attacks" on our coaching staff. Lots of support here on ZNO for more season ticket sales, donations to "booster" organizations, etc. All good stuff. Also the usual call to encourage the Athletic Department and Larry Williams in particular to do all he can to prop up the program more, to invest in it. I'm too lazy and don't really know where to look, but before we can make intelligent arguments to the AD, I'd like to know some numbers. And I know TennZip, ME_87 and fknbuflobo in particular probably can run these down for me....

What is Embick's total compensation at U of A, how does it compare to what we were paying Caleb, and more importantly, where does it rank vs. the "elite" or top 25 NCAA D1 college soccer coaches?

Probably harder to find, but how does our total men's soccer budget compare to the top 25 NCAA programs?, Also, where does our annual, season ticket, or per game attendance rank in the top 25 programs? Also recruiting budget?

It would be total conjecture and probably not fair to ask but, has anyone heard from coaches, players (current and past) or parents that the men's program is being "short changed" budget or facility-wise by the U?

With these things in mind, it will help push or nudge the school and the AD to put the Zip program at the top of all of those lists to make it a very difficult choice for Jared, or any other future coach, to leave the Zips. But how does that defend against an MLS, USL or European club from coming after our coach with BIG $$? That's what happened with Caleb, and despite all of us hating to see him go, we also knew it was a big and great opportunity for him. I think we'd feel the same for Jared.

Now, all that being said, we do have to face a few ugly "facts". These are definitely things I think the AD and Board probably do look at. Despite how fervent of fans we are here, and at Stamford, Wake, Maryland, Indiana, (need I go on?) where does NCAA soccer rank in terms of overall college fan interest vs. basketball and football, or baseball for that matter? Not the U of A, but overall NCAA? And how about media? The NCAA was not even able to get ESPN to show the College Cup on ESPN or ESPN2, and that spoke volumes to me of the NCAA influence on their broadcasters. Would NBCSports or FoxSports been a better choice? They might not have any wiggle room to move away from ESPN. Without advertising $ in even a small form, it's tough to allocate $ to any program. We should push the AD to form a better package with the local AM radio for coverage of all matches, home and away. How many did Frenchy show up at, and he admits he knows little about soccer, so we need a better broadcast crew, so that the casual soccer fan might get "hooked" like Blue and Gold just did. Same with our ESPN3 or ESPN+ contracts. I believe there is an audience (modest) and those funds could be funneled back into the program. And how about a weekly half hour cable or tv program with coach (how about Chad Welker or Brad Bourneval as hosts?) to highlight last week's matches and upcoming matches, generate interest and ad $.

Okay, I veered waaay off topic. We've got to look at how little the MAC is in relation to NCAA soccer. 6 teams, 2 of which are not full-time MAC programs. One more team leaving the MAC probably is the death knell for it as a MAC sport, and then we need to make sure the AD looks to get us in a conference that is more competitive and gets 4-5 invites to the Big Dance each year. We've got to look at title 9 as well. And we can rail on and on about how the cost of Infocision and the debt service has on all sports at the U, it is a reality that is not going to change. And also, the arguments about whether we should pay a new football coach or basketball coach what we did or do are wonderful to have, but in reality NCAA basketball and or football has the POTENTIAL, even at lowly Akron, for easily more fans to show up, pay $$ to watch and endorse than NCAA soccer.

Sorry for the rambling, not much to do the day before Christmas I guess. I'd love for ME_87,, TennZip, fknbuflobo, malone pioneer, anyone who knows where to get this info, to post it, to help us understand what we're up against. Sorry to push it off on you guys, but hey, that's what they pay you the big bucks for!

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Tim Sullivan
@TimSullivan714
Multiple reports out of Akron say Jared Embick has decided to stay put with the Zips. Several #Louisville insiders thought he was going to be Ken Lolla's replacement. Would guess U of L leverage helped Embick land a new deal, a la Jeff Brohm.

@ZipsVoice I don’t know all the numbers. Also, I’m not talking about Jared’s salary/compensation. I don’t know how it compares to what UA was giving Caleb.

Im referring to the other support that our program needs. We need to ensure that we have the needed assistants. We also know that Jared and his staff “schedule up” which requires a decent travel budget. Add to that recruiting trips. Also, equipment such as the video system recently mentioned to track our players proficiency on the field.

My thought is that there was a grassroots effort to bring back Zips Baseball. I don’t know how it started, who led it, how it worked, or really anything other than that is how Zips Baseball returned. Perhaps we could follow their lead for helping Zips Men’s Soccer. Also, I trust that George Van Horne, Larry Williams, et al have some things in mind. I know the Athletics Dept was extremely supportive of Zips Men’s Soccer, it’s alumni, and fans during the recent trip to the College Cup. Those of us who love our program so much need to somehow take a more active role in keeping it strong. We can’t just look to others to do all of it for us.

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I am heartened by the news and source reporting that JE is staying, Me_87 is my go-to on what is facts, and if he reports it's not going to happen, I believe...

What is Embick's total compensation at U of A, how does it compare to what we were paying Caleb, and more importantly, where does it rank vs. the "elite" or top 25 NCAA D1 college soccer coaches?

Probably harder to find, but how does our total men's soccer budget compare to the top 25 NCAA programs?, Also, where does our annual, season ticket, or per game attendance rank in the top 25 programs? Also recruiting budget?

Zips voice, many excellent thoughts

I was typing a reply.....at the same time that Zip_ME87 was typing a reply.

I have very similar comments. The situation for Akron soccer is much, much larger than Jared's compensation. I have seen articles that Lolla at Louisville made $330,000 this year and would make $350,000 in 2019 (if he had stayed). Suffice it to say, Jared's compensation is not near that high level. I have never spoken with Coach Embick but I know that his concern would be for a budget 1)that allows him to retain his high quality assistants....Ger is considered to be a great goalkeeper coach....; TJ, Ger had to do yeoman work with Jared late in the year as they were one coach down ; Funds need to be good to bring in another top notch assistant 2) a budget that allows Jared, Ger, TJ and others to travel to Portugal, Spain, Italy and all parts of the US to evaluate student athletes that will be the best fit for zips soccer ; 3) support for the student athlete...that help them perform well in school and on the field.... A) a few years ago...might have been 2015,the Beacon had an article about the cost of freezing cold ice baths....and how often that the team could afford to do that...I know that there is a technical term for the freezing baths but it helps the players recover quicker. I remember from the article...that Victor Souto was the first brave zip to get into the freeze bath.....If those are still the best mechanism to help athletes recover, boosters need to help donate money to have funds for that. B. ) Sports now are mental as well as physical...are funds available to the soccer program for sports psychologists?...again, I have no knowledge if this is something available for zips football, zips basketball, etc. C) Zip_me87...mentioned funds for travel.....travel needs to be set up to allow the student athlete to miss the least amount of school....and be the most rested for the road games....D) Nutrition

An immediate concern of mine.....is whether the zip soccer team will be able to take a foreign trip in 2019. The team can take one every 4 years. The 2014 team lost in the round of 64 in the NCAA tourney. That team went to Brazil in 2015 and that team lost on PK's in the college cup in 2015. The players from that team talk about that trip as something that gave them the confidence to have a great year in 2015. This 2018 team was so close to winning it all. A foreign trip would give Carlo, David , Marcel, Skye, Colin, Sam , etal a chance to become even better.

The athletic department and Coach Embick and his staff can't accomplish what they want to...without the help of alumni and donors. I, like many of us on this board, like to write. I would be happy to be involved in trying to increase the amount of funds available for our beloved soccer program.